• 28.300°N 16.500°W 2370 m a.s.l.

Observational platform

Spain

• Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET)

https://izana.aemet.es/

The Izaña Atmospheric Observatory (IZO) is at the island of Tenerife at 28º18’N, 16º29’W, 2373 m a.s.l. The observatory, inaugurated in 1916, is located on the top of a mountain plateau in a pre-national park area (Teide National Park) that is environmentally protected by the “Sky Law”. IZO is normally above a temperature inversion layer, generally well established over the island, and so free of local anthropoge­nic influences. Therefore clean air and clear sky conditions prevail all year. Measurements performed at IZO are particularly valuable for investigating dust transport from Africa to the North Atlantic, and large-scale transport from the tropics to higher latitudes due to its geographic location in the subtropical North Atlantic free troposphere.

The activities of the In situ aerosols programme of the Izaña Atmospheric Observatory (IZO) are developed within the scientific priorities of the Global Atmosphere Watch programme. One of the main tasks of our group is to maintain the long-term observations of aerosols at IZO. These measurements improve the understanding of the potential long-term multi-decadal changes and trends of aerosols. Our investigations are focused on: 1) Long-term multi-decadal variability and trends of aerosols; 2) Aerosols and climate and 3) Aerosols and air quality.
The long-term in situ aerosol observation program includes measurements of aerosol mass and number concentrations, chemical composition, size distribution and optical properties by in-situ techniques. Instruments are placed in the so-called Aerosols Research Laboratory (ARL) renamed as the Joseph M. Prospero Aerosols Research Laboratory, as a tribute to the pioneer of dust research, in 2016.

• Rodríguez et al. (2011). Transport of desert dust mixed with North African industrial pollutants in the subtropical Saharan Air Layer. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11(13), 6663-6685. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-6663-2011
• García et al. (2017). Impact of North America on the aerosol composition in the North Atlantic free troposphere. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17(12), 7387-7404. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7387-2017
• García et al. (2017). Speciation of organic aerosols in the Saharan Air Layer and in the free troposphere westerlies. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17(14), 8939-8958. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-8939-2017
• Rodríguez et al. (2020). Rapid changes of dust geochemistry in the Saharan Air Layer linked to sources and meteorology. Atmospheric Environment, 223, 117186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2019.117186